Recruitment and Retention
Ashley Colwell serves as a National Health Service Corps (NHSC)
Ambassador, as well as Manager, Workforce Development at the Illinois Primary
Health Care Association (IPHCA). In both roles, she has supported the NHSC Scholarship and Loan Repayment Programs
for nearly 10 years, focusing on the recruitment and retention of health care
providers in Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) throughout the state
placing nearly 500 clinicians. She works closely with health professions
schools and primary care residency programs by reaching out to students and
clinicians who are committed to being part of the primary health care pipeline.
Ashley promotes NHSC programs through presentations and exhibits to sites,
residency programs and academic institutions. She enjoys using the NHSC Job
Center as a key promotional tool in attracting primary care students and
clinicians to the NHSC. Ashley has also continuously supported the annual NHSC Corps
Community Month (CCM) campaign by hosting a series of events, and was a member of
the first Corps Community Day Steering Committee.
Ashley became a NHSC Ambassador because she “saw how critical the NHSC Program is to the future recruitment,
retention and success of health centers, both locally and nationally, to build
a pipeline of clinical providers that are interested in serving the
underserved.” To further expand the pipeline and promote awareness about the
NHSC and State Loan Repayment Programs, she works through the IPHCA to host an
annual one-day program, “Understanding and Serving America’s Underserved: An
Introduction to Community Health Centers,” which assists pre-clinical medical,
dental, physician assistant and nurse practitioner students in making informed
career decisions. Participants are exposed to what it means to be underserved,
discuss barriers to care, examine cultural competency, participate in a site
visit at a health center, and gain better understanding of FQHCs.
Ashley says she enjoys her role as a NHSC Ambassador and
particularly finds great value in the Ambassador training webinars and available
resources. She plans to continue NHSC promotion
in all aspects of her work.
If you are interested in
being featured in a future Ambassador Spotlight and are willing to share your
story as a NHSC Ambassador, please email: NHSCAmbassador@hrsa.gov.
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